Really, really fun

Cryptonomicon

Cryptonomicon leaps forward and back between World War II and the World Wide Web, hinting all the while at a dark day-after-tomorrow....

Fixed!

By
Rob J.
on
04-16-17

Anathem

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Oliver Wyman,
Tavia Gilbert,
William Dufris,
and others

Length: 32 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4,355

Performance

3,145

Story

3,152

Before the week is out, both the existence Erasmus abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the perilous brink of cataclysmic change....

well imagined, absorbing

By
Josh
on
11-10-08

Reamde

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 38 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

6,909

Performance

6,146

Story

6,190

Richard Forthrast created T’Rain, a multibillion-dollar, massively multiplayer online role-playing game. But T’Rain’s success has also made it a target of hackers....

Subjective Review - Not a Conventional Thriller

By
Neil
on
10-10-11

Interface

By:
Neal Stephenson,
J. Frederick George

Narrated by:
Oliver Wyman

Length: 25 hrs and 20 mins

Unabridged

Overall

911

Performance

714

Story

718

From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning success of his latest novel, Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson has quickly become the voice of a generation....

Interface

By
Dianne
on
08-14-10

Zodiac

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Ax Norman

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Unabridged

Overall

567

Performance

384

Story

392

Sangamon Taylor's a New-Age Sam Spade who sports a wet suit instead of a trench coat and prefers Jolt from the can to Scotch on the rocks....

Love that dirty water!

By
Edie Snow
on
04-24-10

The Diamond Age

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Jennifer Wiltsie

Length: 18 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5,076

Performance

2,961

Story

2,982

In Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson took science fiction to dazzling new levels. Now, in The Diamond Age, he delivers another stunning tale....

The rock could use a bit more polishing

By
Tango
on
05-19-13

The Cobweb

By:
Neal Stephenson,
J. Frederick George

Narrated by:
Marc Vietor

Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins

Unabridged

Overall

443

Performance

311

Story

315

Neal Stephenson and fellow author J. Frederick George tell a savagely witty, chillingly topical tale set in the tense moments of the Gulf War....

Very disappointed

By
Bernadette
on
07-11-14

Seveneves

A Novel

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Mary Robinette Kowal,
Will Damron

Length: 31 hrs and 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

14,353

Performance

13,329

Story

13,319

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan....

Odd narrator choice

By
Josh Mitchell
on
05-30-15

Snow Crash

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Jonathan Davis

Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

12,019

Performance

8,808

Story

8,887

Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparison - a writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world...

Cool, but complicated

By
Jim "The Impatient"
on
03-12-11

Sinner

A Prequel to the Mongoliad

By:
Mark Teppo

Narrated by:
Luke Daniels

Length: 1 hr and 38 mins

Unabridged

Overall

63

Performance

55

Story

54

A severed head and a cry of “Witchcraft!” start a frenzied witch hunt in a sleepy German village....

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Bobiverse, Book 1

By:
Dennis E. Taylor

Narrated by:
Ray Porter

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

45,215

Performance

42,503

Story

42,437

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure....

Ignore the Publisher's Summary! This is Amazing!

By
PW
on
04-12-17

Children of Time

By:
Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by:
Mel Hudson

Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4,842

Performance

4,524

Story

4,517

Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet....

A unique take on the alien

By
Jarno
on
05-16-17

The Big U

By:
Neal Stephenson

Narrated by:
Fred Berman

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Unabridged

Overall

141

Performance

104

Story

104

An hilarious send-up of American college life, The Big U is required listening for anyone interested in the early work of this singular writer....

Interesting, very strange

By
david
on
01-06-15

Norse Mythology

By:
Neil Gaiman

Narrated by:
Neil Gaiman

Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

21,296

Performance

19,545

Story

19,445

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention to the source, presenting a rendition of the great northern tales....

A Comedy-Tragedy of Gods Giants Dwarfs & Monsters

By
Jefferson
on
02-24-17

The Peripheral

By:
William Gibson

Narrated by:
Lorelei King

Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

1,019

Performance

901

Story

917

Where Flynne and her brother, Burton, live, jobs outside the drug business are rare. Fortunately, Burton has his veteran's benefits, for neural damage he suffered....

Incredibly great across the board

By
Christopher R McLaughlin
on
04-27-15

The Collapsing Empire

The Interdependency, Book 1

By:
John Scalzi

Narrated by:
Wil Wheaton

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

7,989

Performance

7,517

Story

7,490

Our universe is ruled by physics, and faster-than-light travel is not possible - until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time....

Not very well written

By
Amazon Customer
on
03-29-17

Publisher's Summary

The trials of Dr. Daniel Waterhouse and the Natural Philosophers increase one hundredfold in an England plagued by the impending war and royal insecurities, as the beautiful and ambitious Eliza plays a most dangerous game as double agent and confidante of enemy kings.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson’s award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audible’s complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Imp of the Perverse Embodied in Brilliant Fiction

This series must be contemplated as a unified whole. This review is for the entire BAROQUE CYCLE.

Sorry Neal, I was wrong. For me Neal Stephenson was a bit of an acquired taste. My first Stephenson exposure was with SNOWCRASH, a zany over-the-top Sci-Fi farce with quirky characters, tight plotting and fascinating ideas—try an ancient software virus in the human brain. My next Neal Stephenson encounter was THE DIAMOND AGE and this was for years my last. It was not until revisiting SNOWCRASH now as an audiobook (narrated by the superb Jonathan Davis) that I realized that anyone able to reach such dizzying fictional heights once deserves more than one strike. It was after this that I listened to ANATHEM; strike two. But there was one more title that had received acclaim that I first had to tackle before relegating Stephenson to one-hit-wonder status: CRYPTONOMICON. This was a home run; different from SNOWCRASH in almost every way but still wonderful, and really long. From this I learned three things: (1) Stephenson was not easy to pigeon-hole; and (2) He could handle fictional works in the long form; and (3) If you are not preoccupied with plot advancement, the rabbit trails can be quite scenic. So, once I learned that many of the characters in CRYPTONOMICON had ancestors in THE BAROQUE CYCLE, I determined to tackle the whole lot back-to-back, as if it were one giant novel. QUICKSILVER is the first audio installment of THE BAROQUE CYCLE, which is here divided into seven installments. In print form it is broken into eight books published in three hefty volumes.

I could tell from the comments of other listeners that this huge tome is not for everyone. If you require fast tight plotting, this may not be for you. If you enjoy witty repartee between vagabonds, kings, courtiers and thieves then this may be the mother lode. I liken Neal Stephenson to Gene Wolfe; another writer who can keep my interest just by the brilliance of his prose. It was in the middle of ODALISQUE, book three in the cycle, that I realized I didn’t much care that the plot was just creeping along, and that side trips to follow the numerous cast of characters kept taking me away from the one I liked best. I was enjoying the show and didn’t want it to end. This is truly not seven different novels, but one huge novel tied together by recurring characters and one vast and very satisfying story arc.

This accomplishment by Neal Stevenson is just the thing that the term magnum opus was coined for. Mr. Stevenson demonstrates his ability to manage a vast narrative alternate history and retains his focus over two-thousand six-hundred eighty-eight hardcover pages, through one-hundred fourteen hours of audiobook narration; yet the feel and texture and pacing is consistent throughout the entire work. Amazing. If you decide to tackle this tome you will be rewarded. It may cause you to rethink the whole audiobook medium.

I really enjoyed Stephenson’s insights into the politics of the scientific community, revolving around Isaac Newton. The fusing of Natural Philosophy (science), Alchemy, commodity-based monetary theory, rags-to-riches character transformations, and court intrigue make for a fascinating experience. Listening to this series is like taking a time-travel vacation to the eighteenth century. The shabby, muddy, miasmic grunge of the period’s living conditions sometimes remind me of Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Jabberwocky, with associated punch-lines. This is a very different world from the one we live in but I began to think I might understand it a little better and found that, in some ways, it might not be so bad.

If you are at all interested in free-market economics, and commodity-based monetary theory then one of the long-term story arcs will be of intense interest to you. Stevenson explores the impact of the foundation of the central Bank of England upon the flow of gold. And his deft insertion of an Alchemical component into the mix creates an enjoyable element of mystery. This is the storyline that required one-hundred hours to tell.

This is a Science Fiction work because the alternate-history angle with Alchemy infecting the realm of science will appeal to the SF fan. If you were provided with a plot outline or given some character sketches you may think this an historical novel, and it could be read from that perspective. But Science Fiction readers don’t as a rule read historical novels, but they will read this, therefore, whatever qualities it possesses, justify the SF label.

—PERSISTENT THEMES OF THE BAROQUE CYCLE—Predestination versus Free-Will is on everyone’s mindThe debate between Protestantism versus Catholicism had a huge political impactGeocentrism versus Heliocentrism is the only thing everyone can agree uponCommodity-based Monetary theory makes the world workCourt Intrigue and witty conversations provide joy in every circumstanceMeritocracy rags-to-riches stories aboundPeople can endure much if they have hopeVagabond underworld versus Persons of Quality show we have much in commonAlchemy counterpoised with Natural Philosophy revel the nature of scienceEncryption and secret writing have long been employed True love makes life worth livingCourtly liaisons show the shallowness of the ruling class to whom society is entrusted

Simon Prebble does yeoman’s work on this production. To my ear he nailed every single pronunciation of every word in the course of over one-hundred hours of narration—no mean feat. His character voicings are subtle but immediately recognizable. His talent allows him to even give convincing alternate pronunciations of words to the different characters that are appropriate to their individual personalities. The more foppish English characters habitually emphasize different syllables than the lower class characters. Despite the deep quality of his voice Simon Prebble handles both male and female character voices convincingly. His voice has a limited range but I was constantly amazed at how he could make subtle alterations in inflection, diction and pacing to effectively distinguish the various characters in a conversation. Simon Prebble achieves the desirable state of occupying the place in your head usually reserved for your own internal sub-vocalizations when you are reading a print book to yourself. This is a high achievement indeed and makes this a soothing book experience.

Great book

I found the addition of Katherine Kellgren as Eliza in the third book a little jarring, after having gotten used to Simon Prebble doing Eliza's voice in the two previous books (and doing a seamless job of it, too.)

Kellgren's Eliza is a touch too arch, too insufferably prissy; not how I imagined Eliza to be. It makes the numerous readings of Eliza's correspondence in this book three of the cycle seem interminable. This stands out because, though this is a ridiculously long work, I rarely lose patience with its length - and I remember reading through the correspondence sections of the third book without any impatience or sense of 'slogging through'.

I think her voice is just a bit too much, like trying to make an entire meal of lemon bars. Makes you long for plain bread. I'm hoping this effect lessens as the books go on.

Volume One, Finished

"Odalisque" is the last book in the first volume and there are two more volumes to go. I'm not too sure why Audible decided to split up the three volumes into eight books, but so far, the third book is my favorite. The story is finally moving along in Baroque Cycle.

Unlike Quicksilver, which was basically the premise, and King of the Vagabonds, which was explaining the day wagers, Odalisque goes back at exams the hierarchy of the monarch. The story between of Daniel and Eliza makes it more compelling to read. The best part of this chapter in the series is the science and astronomy from Newton and his peers.

In any series that I listens to, at certain point I need to read something else because after the third book, I loose interest. Maybe because I'm a fan of Stephenson or been waiting to read Baroque Cycle, I'm powering through these books and can't wait for more.

Outstanding Book - Excellent Presentation

Great followup to king of the vagabonds

Loved it. But then I am a Neal Stephenson fan. The plot and all the little nuanced details are fantastic. The characters started in the second book are developed in to intriguing and engrossing ones in this book. Daniel remains at the core of the story here like in the first book. Personally I felt there was too little of Newton in this book hopefully it will be made up in the next one. The narrators are brilliant and kept the book interesting all through Overall a top read.

A little slow to start...

Would you listen to Odalisque again? Why?

It is a great story that has characters pulled from history - but that means that a large part of this is about filling the reader in on the historical context in which certain event and characters are important. This is not a story for people who want instant gratification - but it is still a very good read.

Entertaining series

I got into this series reading Locus award winners for SCI-FI . Not sure how this series got there. I also did not realize there were 8 books (only three won awards). And then to find out that this is really sort of three books (long ones) broken into 8 books...one can't keep track. This book was covers some pretty interesting historical events and is quite interesting.

The performance is great - the reader gives unique personalities to all the characters. Overall its a pretty good read.

An epic story about the turn of the 18th century.

We continue to follow Jack and Eliza as they make their way in the world, both trying to save the other from a life of poverty, generally by lots of subterfuge, a little bit of theft, and some occasional bad decisions.

Highly detailed, and sometimes slow moving, the entire story will span over 50 years, the reign of many different kings and queens across europe, several trips to America and back, pirates, african queens, and the Philosopher's Stone. Well worth slogging through the slow points to find out what happens in the end.

It's the journey, not the destination

I think listening to this as an audio book is probably the very best way to experience it. There are long stretches that are letters written by Eliza, which by their nature involved long explanations of things Eliza had done. I wish the author had simply shown Eliza interacting with people and her environment, since she is such an unusual and compelling female protagonist. Seeing her primarily through her letters made her feel more distant, although she does explain lots of interesting things about early commerce, such as how insurance began (Lloyd's was originally a coffee shop!), how to be an effective spy, and how to use binary code encrypted in needlepoint to send coded messages. Still, I found my mind drifting at times, and thought more than once that if I had been reading this as a hard copy book, I probably would have given up. But the audio performers do a lovely job of pulling the listener along on this fantastic voyage, in much the same way that a really good Shakespearean actor can make you understand the meaning of what is being said, even if you don't comprehend every word.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

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Amazon Customer

04-08-14

Eliza doesn't sound like Katherine Kellgren!

What did you like most about Odalisque?

Love the Baroque Cycle and Simon Prebble's narration of it. Tolerated Kevin Pariseau's curious phrasing of the quotes at the beginnings of each chapter, but really didn't like Katherine Kellgren's interpretation of Eliza - she doesn't match my 'picture' of Eliza at all; on audible.com someone wrote she was 'too arch; too prissy' and I have to say I agree...

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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mrmalaya

10-30-17

Really grips you as it goes on

There is this underlying problem with the actress narrating Eliza, but otherwise this book really gripped me. Fantastic detail, plot and performance for everyone but Eliza.

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Mr. Kevin W. Karney

11-05-15

Great story

Great historical detail but you need to check the who is who to understand the real from fictional characters

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Jim

05-24-15

Swashbuckling and stockbroking

If you liked volume one and two enough to consider buying volume 3 don't be too put off. Poor Katherine Kellgren doesn't really nail Eliza for other reviewers or, indeed, this one. But she wasn't bad enough to stop me enjoying it and in later volumes she was retired. So even if you do find her intolerable it won't last for the whole series. Part of this volume is spent in Versailles and the Hague and once again we get a great plot alongside fascinating historical details about the French political system at the time and the rise of the international finance markets. Deep, rich, geeky stuff underpinned by great plot dynamics and snappy dialogue

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pen name

01-23-15

the woman's voice is appalling

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

i'm reserving judgement

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Simon Prebble is one of my favourite narrators (along with Lorelei King, Will Patton, Phyllida Nash and Stephen Fry) and he's wonderful here. The voice of the person reading Eliza, however, is so appalling, so arch and grating that I am having to skip over her chapters, which means missing out on a lot of history and, I expect, plot points - I may yet have to return the book. What a disaster; why botch the not-broken? Simon Prebble read Eliza so well before.

Overall

Christopher

03-31-11

Intrigue, Technology and Commerce

The third part of Stephenson's chronicle of intrigue, technology and commerce focuses on Eliza and her adventures in France. A third of the way through but the real story is only beginning. Each part of this wonderful book deserves its own review and five star rating.

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Stephen J. Ansell

05-17-15

Stephenson makes the reader feel they are there!

This author is exceptional. His research, coupled with his creative weaving of his character's lives is second to none. Totally addictive.